The International Luge Federation has revoked the participation rights of three Russian athletes set to compete in Lake Placid, N.Y., aiming to enhance their chances of qualifying for the Milan-Cortina Olympics, as announced by the governing body on Tuesday. The federation’s executive board decided to exclude Alexsandr Gorbatsevich, Sofiia Mazur, and Kseniia Shamova from the list of eligible sliders following the presentation and discussion of “new evidence,” including consultations with the International Olympic Committee.

While the specific nature of the evidence was not disclosed by FIL officials, a knowledgeable source revealed that it raised concerns about the neutrality of Gorbatsevich, Mazur, and Shamova in light of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The source, speaking anonymously to The Associated Press, emphasized the significance of neutrality in determining the eligibility of Russian athletes for Olympic qualification. Various sports federations are now implementing independent review processes to ensure that athletes have not publicly supported the war and have no affiliations with Russia’s military or related entities.

Despite these developments, Russian sliders Matvei Perestoronin, Pavel Repilov, and Daria Olesik are still anticipated to compete in Lake Placid this weekend. They actively participated in official training on Tuesday and are scheduled to continue training on Wednesday, with plans to compete in a Nations Cup race on Thursday. The Nations Cup serves as a qualifying event for athletes not directly guaranteed a spot in the World Cup field.

Russian athletes have been absent from World Cup luge races since January 2022 as part of the global sporting response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The International Olympic Committee has urged various sports bodies to allow Russian athletes, including youth teams, to compete under neutral status at the upcoming Milan Cortina Games.

In contrast, Ukrainian athletes, who have expressed discomfort with the idea of Russian participation, began their official training at the Mount Van Hoevenberg track in Lake Placid on Tuesday. The remaining qualifying races in Latvia and Germany may pose challenges for Russian athletes due to potential visa issues, although they were granted U.S. visas for the recent races in Utah and Lake Placid. The International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation recently deemed nine Russian athletes eligible for this season’s races, although none are slated to compete in the upcoming World Cup skeleton races in Latvia.